Chapter 10: First Entry into the Space
“Hmm, much more obedient than your younger uncle.” Grandmother did not forget to praise her, and casually opened the drawer of the bedside cabinet. She took out a porcelain vase about half a foot tall, gently lifted the lid, and reached inside. When she withdrew her hand, a thumb-sized piece of rock sugar appeared. She placed it in Zhu Yanyi’s mouth: “You have been good today, An Ni. A piece of sugar as a reward.”
Rock sugar in this era was not like the unknown crystallized substance of later times. It was pure rock sugar, though uneven in shape and size. Some pieces might be as large as a child’s fist, while others could be as small as grains of rice. Generally, people did not mind the size; larger pieces could be taken home and broken apart to eat. The piece in Zhu Yanyi’s mouth was likely a fragment from a larger one.
“Delicious. So sweet.” Zhu Yanyi smiled.
“Alright, sleep a little longer. I will wake you when it is time to eat.” Grandmother was quite busy. In today’s world, everyone was occupied, and the Xie household was even busier. The Xie family possessed little property, so the principle of earning more through more labor was a welcome prospect. Whenever she had free time, Grandmother would twist hemp rope. One foot of hemp rope earned one cent. She could usually twist about ten meters a day, roughly thirty feet, earning three mao daily.
“Hmm, Grandmother, Second Uncle promised to bring back wild hawthorn. When he arrives, please remember to wake me.” Zhu Yanyi said. In her past life, she had experienced this: after falling into the water and lying ill for several days, her uncles visited her every day, especially Second Uncle and Younger Uncle. Second Uncle worked as a temporary porter at a mountain brick kiln. Each time he returned, he would always pick some wild hawthorn from the roadside. It was winter now, the season when wild hawthorn berries ripened. Though slightly sour, in this era of material scarcity, such fruit was a highly tempting snack for children.
“Very well, I know. I will certainly wake you. Sleep peacefully.” Grandmother agreed in her gentle manner. After removing Zhu Yanyi’s cotton vest, she tucked her in, pressed down the quilt, and left.
Once certain Grandmother had departed, Zhu Yanyi decided to explore the space for a short while. Although Venerable Yanluo had said this Ruyi Space was a rare realm, she needed to see it herself to understand just how exceptional it truly was.
Zhu Yanyi focused her mind on entering. Indeed, in the blink of an eye, she found herself in an unfamiliar environment. The temperature here was roughly twenty-something degrees, like a naturally tempered chamber. It felt somewhat warm, but more notably, breathing here brought an indescribable comfort, lacking the dryness of an artificially cooled room.
What met Zhu Yanyi’s eyes was a plant grove, covering roughly a hundred mu of land. Some plots were empty, and Zhu Yanyi considered planting vegetables or similar crops there in the future. Most of the land was already filled with plants. She glanced over and was surprised to find that they were all medicinal herbs. She recognized some, such as licorice, iron-skin dendrobium, lingzhi, ginseng, and fleeceflower root, while many others were unfamiliar. It seemed the majority of this grove was dedicated to medicinal plants. Naturally, Zhu Yanyi also noticed several fruit trees, occupying about one mu of land. There were not many trees, but the varieties were numerous: apples, peaches, grapes, lychees, sugar apples, papayas, and so on. Each variety had only a few trees, but the selection was extensive.